How to calculate total amount to include transaction fees

"pass the transaction fee for stripe and for PayPal on to the buyer"- Support forum

This is a common question from small businesses who take card payments on their order forms. For example, Stripe keeps a flat fee and a percentage of each charge, so you receive less than the order amount. On a small order that fee is easy to miss, but over many orders it adds up. Google Forms takes no payment at all and adding the fee to the final amount by hand on each order is not practical. With Neartail, you can include the fee in the final amount with a formula. Your customers will see the final amount before they pay. Even better, Neartail adds no fee of its own, so Stripe's fee is the only one you have to cover.

Let's start. Create your order form and follow the steps below.

Transaction charges

Stripe charges include a flat fee plus a percentage of the total amount. The flat fee and the total charge percentage must be factored into the final charge amount to ensure that you receive the desired amount, after Stripe deducts the fee from the charge.
Final Amount = (Total amount + Fixed flat fee) / ( 1 - Stripe % Fee)

Example: Final amount calculation for US

Stripe charges for US = 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge
Let's say the total amount is $100. If you would like to pass the transaction fees on to your customers, the final amount to be charged to the customer can be calculated as follows:
Final amount = ($100 + 30¢) / ( 1 - 2.9%) = 100.30/0.971 = $103.29

How to charge the final amount in your form?

  • On the page that opens, click "Enter your form name". Type your form's name, click Generate and wait about a minute.
  • Check the outline it suggests and click Proceed.
  • Once you create the form, you will land on the form's "Edit" tab. If it asks "Do you want to preview this form?", click No.
The tabs Edit, Preview, Share and Orders, with Edit marked
  • Your form comes with products, an Order Amount question that adds up by itself and an Order Quantity question. Click on each product and check its name and price, because a generated product can have no name and a price of 0.
  • Click on the Order Quantity question, then click Add price field in the toolbar on the right
The form in the editor, with the Add price field icon marked in the toolbar on the right
  • Add price field screen will be displayed. Select Net Amount and click Next
The Add price field list, with Net Amount selected and Next marked
  • Check that Insert after says Order Quantity. Select Standard calculation using NETTOTAL() and click Next
The Net Amount settings with Insert after Order Quantity and Standard calculation using NETTOTAL() selected, marked with Next
  • Click Create. You will replace this formula in the next step
The Standard calculation box with NETTOTAL() and the Create button marked
  • Field settings screen will be displayed. Select the "Answer" tab. Replace what is in the Calculate option with the formula as shown below. TOTAL() is the order amount. Click Save
The Answer tab of the field settings with TOTAL() plus 0.30, divided by 0.971 in the Calculate box, with the Answer tab and the box marked
Your customers pay the Net Amount, with the fee in it. This formula leaves out any Delivery Fee or Discount, so use it on a form that has neither. To turn on card payments, follow How to accept online payments directly through your order form?

Useful Links (Stripe)

Stripe fees for your country
Scope of surcharge ban

Summary

If you do not want to pay the transaction fee yourself, you have to add it to what you charge and doing that by hand is not practical. With Neartail, you write the fee in a formula and the final amount includes it. Create your order form and complete the steps above. If you have any questions, write to support.

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